Valhalla Virus by Nick Harrow (best management books of all time TXT) 📕

When she spoke, her voice echoed with ancient power. “The spear is taken by the Behemoth, the maw of chaos.”

“The ring falls to the bringer of chaos,” Bridget added while she traced a velvet strand. “One has come to pass, one is happening, and the third’s hour draws near.”

Those words didn’t stir a vision, but deep feelings churned Gunnar’s thoughts like a witch’s brew in a bone pot. He was the hanged king, he was certain of that because the Valknut was stuck in his head, but he didn’t know the others. Hyrrokkin had to be the bringer of chaos. The Behemoth, though...that was new.

“You must decide our path, oh Jarl.” Mimi’s voice was a quiet plea. “Only one of these can I find before the darkness claims the other.”

An aura of lights—pink, gold, and purple—surrounded the women before Gunnar, and they’d turned so all six of their eyes were focused on him. He hated that he could only find one more relic before the jötnar got hold of the other, but at least he’d have two to their one. And the völva had given him another advantage: he could pick not just which item he found next, but which the jötnar would find. The golden ring seemed useless to him—who cared about money when the world was falling apart? The spear, though, could be the weapon that turned the tide of this battle.

“Where is Gungnir?” he asked.

The golden beam of light from Mimi’s forehead danced in the air, and she studied the weave for what felt like hours before her light focused on a single intersection of the web. She said, “It lies within a pyramid of black glass.”

Bridget’s light focused on the threads around that intersection. Purple knots formed where the beam lingered, isolating the point Mimi had identified. “And so it shall remain until the jarl’s hand takes it, or he falls.”

Those words chilled Gunnar to the bone. He had his völva by his side, the Valknut in his head, and the ability to swipe the life force out of his enemies. But none of that guaranteed he’d get out of this mess in one piece.

As if to emphasize that point, the Valknut transformed the colorful web into a burning lens that showed Gunnar the darkness on the horizon. An army of jötnar under Hyrrokkin’s banner, blood running in the streets while fire clawed at the sky. Monsters bigger than any he’d seen so far, and something twisted and deadly lurking behind it all.

Gunnar realized that, even if he reclaimed all the relics, the battle could stretch on for a very long time. His enemies would only grow more numerous, his allies more threatened. Dark days were ahead.

His father’s words crawled through Gunnar’s thoughts. “Save yourself, and those dear to you. Let the rest work out their own shit, or you’ll drown in it.”

Gunnar had struggled his whole life with that philosophy. He’d wanted to honor his father, but it was hard to swallow that wisdom. He could wait out the disaster, down here, surrounded by beautiful women. Maybe they’d be passed over. Maybe they’d live for years down here on survival rations while the world above them burned.

Gunnar watched the vision play out, saw glimpses of a dark reflection of himself in them. No, he couldn’t hide down here like a bear hibernating through a long winter. His völva needed him.

The world needed him.

Chapter 14

THE SPELL UNRAVELED in a shower of multicolored sparks that rained down around the völva. The trio of women shivered for a moment, then leaned against one another in a warm embrace. Steam rose from the pool’s water as they swayed slowly, eyes closed, breathing as heavily as if they’d just run a marathon. Bridget, in particular, seemed all but wiped out by whatever they’d just done.

Gunnar slipped into the water behind the tall platinum blonde and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned back into him, her body still cold to the touch.

“Everybody okay?” he asked.

“Tired,” Bridget murmured sleepily, her hands slipping from Mimi’s and Rayleigh’s hands.

He lifted her into his arms and headed back up the pool’s stairs. “All right, everybody inside. Get some dry clothes on and we’ll talk about that weird little show.”

“Who needs clothes?” Mimi asked as she emerged from the water. She flung her long red hair back over her head, spraying a squealing Ray with water.

“I’m gonna drown you,” Rayleigh growled. She sprang up the steps on Mimi’s heels and jumped onto her back. The pair giggled and collapsed onto the astroturf, rolling over and over as they tried to pin each other down.

“Weirdos,” Bridget murmured and snuggled up to nuzzle Gunnar’s neck. Her lips were cold against his skin, like the touch of a frosty Coke bottle on a hot summer day. “You’re warm.”

Gunnar’s mind went to about a hundred different ways to warm up the statuesque woman in his arms. What she held back from him made her all the more enticing, which Gunnar knew was incredibly stupid. When the time was right, though...

Gunnar carried her through the kitchen and down the hallway that separated it from the dining room. He eased her to her feet in front of the door, and she stood up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss.

“You’re sweet,” she said. Her fingers drew lines in the moisture that had soaked through his T-shirt. “Thank you for understanding about...”

She hesitated and her thin eyebrows twisted into a knot beneath the purple glowing dot on her forehead. “The things I can’t do,” she said in a whisper. “I know it makes things harder.”

“In more ways than one,” Gunnar said with a low, throaty chuckle. “But don’t worry about it. If the time comes—”

“When it comes,” she said. “I promise.”

Gunnar gave her a squeeze, and she shivered against his chest. “Get some dry clothes on before you freeze to death,” he said.

She returned the hug and waved, then vanished into the bedroom. Gunnar left her to get dressed